“So thank you to all of you who have bought the game -or played via Game Pass or other platforms.”  Released on November 9th 2021, Football Manager 2022 took less than eight months to hit this milestone. By comparison, its predecessor hit that milestone in less than two months and still holds the record for the fastest-selling title in the series.

Regarding new features, Football Manager 2022 offers 123 football leagues and over 500,000 real players to recruit. Features like staff meetings, a new manager creator, Fantasy Draft improvements and combined weekly reports also abound along with the addition of the Wide Center-Back role. Production values like player animations are also improved but for the most part, this is the Football Manager that fans know and love.

For more details, check out our official review here. Football Manager 2022 is available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch along with Game Pass.

https://twitter.com/milesSI/status/1541065375588253700

Halo Infinite Multiplayer

Yes, it’s technically a beta but Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer component is content-complete ahead of the campaign’s launch in December. And while much can be said about progression, the extensive monetization or the horrid Armor Cores system, the gameplay is simply exquisite. It plays like the perfect mix of Halo’s classic gun play and movement combined with solid power-ups (that aren’t overbearing) and weapon balance. Map design ranges from good to great, and the extensive polish is a sight to behold in light of the competition. There’s still a ways to go but in terms of fun, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is already top-notch.

That’s very much what Sports Interactive accomplishes with Football Manager 2022. The newest entry in the long-running series does make a couple of headlining changes that stand out, but by and large, where it truly shines is in how it makes small, targeted improvements across all facets of the experience to refine it and improve it that much further.

Take the matches, for instance, and the tactics that you employ and switch on the fly during a game. Football Manager 2022 features a completely new match engine, which is one of those aforementioned headlining changes, and with 3D player models now being properly allowed to move across a 3D plane, movements are much more fluid and realistic. Don’t get me wrong, it still ultimately looks very much like a rough representation of what must actually be going on on the pitch during a match, but from smoother pivots to less jarring bursts of speed to curving runs, player movement feels much more fluid, which, in turn, means matches are just much more fun to watch.

"Football Manager 2022 does make a couple of headlining changes that stand out, but by and large, where it truly shines is in how it makes small, targeted improvements across all facets of the experience to refine it and improve it that much further."

Of course, you’re not just going to be blankly staring at your screen while your players are out on the pitch. Responding to situations as they develop during a match and changing tactics on the fly to gain an edge over your opponent has always been the core of Football Manager, and in FM 2022, that activity feels even more involving. That’s accomplished in many ways, with the primary being a complete reworking of the pressing system. Rather than sticking to the binary choices and stat comparisons that defined whether or not your team was pressing and pressing well in previous years’ games, in Football Manager 2022, pressing against teams is a much more nuanced process.

From your players’ placements to the unique strengths and weaknesses of opposing players to determining where you’re willing to leave gaps as you attempt to win the ball back and much, much more, there’s a number of things you have to keep in mind as you decide your pressing tactics. It is, in fact, something that you’re encouraged to keep fiddling with as the match progresses, because whether it’s because one of your full backs is running out of stamina or because the opponent team switched its formation, the instructions you’ve given your team for pressing will need to be constantly kept an eye on and updated.

Another excellent addition in Football Manager 2022 is the Data Hub. A deluge of stats and charts and graphs and heat maps and what have you is what you expect from every Football Manager game, and poring over those details as you tweak your team’s tactics or training or target areas for improvement plays a huge role in the experience. FM 2022 centralizes all of that in a single hub, which is just overflowing with a ridiculous amount of data to analyze. Diving into the Data Hub, breaking down your team’s performances and progress in a number of different ways, and examining it all is something that will appeal to anyone who’s fancied themselves a tactical genius while wondering why the manager of their team can’t do the simplest things right.

"Diving into the Data Hub, breaking down your team’s performances and progress in a number of different ways, and examining it all is something that will appeal to anyone who’s fancied themselves a tactical genius while wondering why the manager of their team can’t do the simplest things right."

Best of all though, is the fact that the changes you make based on your findings in the Data Hub feel like they make a tangible impact. For instance, if you figure out that the reason your build-up play is so choppy is because your ball retention is poor and you keep losing possession in the midfield, putting a solid ball-winning defensive midfielder in the middle of the park might yield positive results. It’s an empowering feeling, knowing that if you’re not doing well, you can jump headfirst into that overflowing pool of data to pinpoint where you’re weak and then make target changes to improve in that area.

Transfers, too, have seen some noticeable improvements. Where it’s been reasonably easy in past games to cheese transfers with smart budget adjustments, rapid player sales, and transfer fee structures that are loaded with potential add-ons to fool clubs into thinking that they’re being paid large amounts of money, things are much more sensible in Football Manager 2022.

Your budget, for starters, feels much more constrained and is something that places much more significant restrictions on your activity in the transfer market. Selling off unwanted players to make a quick buck isn’t as easy anymore either, because if you’re trying to sell off an ageing player, or someone who hasn’t played much recently, or someone who’s in a bad run of form, you’ll struggle to attract many offers, and the ones that you do receive won’t be mouth-watering by any means. Finally, agent interactions have also improved, because rather that just being there as a means for you to get details on what a player’s club might be looking for in terms of a transfer fee, now, after you’ve been in contact with an agent, the game compels you to either declare potential interest in that player or to let the agent know that you’re not interested. Both those actions, as you’d imagine, force your hand to act a certain way in the transfer market.

"Football Manager 2022 is unsurprisingly excellent."

There is, of course, still room for improvement in Football Manager 2022. One of the franchise’s most frustrating and persistent issues has been with media and player interactions, and those systems are essentially unchanged in this year’s games. They still feel a bit too random, still have very little impact, and once again, get very repetitive very quickly. Repetition is an issue that creeps up in other minor ways as well, like with constant emails from your scouting staff or load reports that very rarely have anything new or interesting to say. Meanwhile, like its predecessors, Football Manager 2022 struggles with loading issues as well, and jumping from day to day (or even from event to event within a single day) often feels unnecessarily longer than it needs to be because of the loading. This isn’t a new issue for the series, of course, but it’s one that hopefully will be addressed in the not-too-distant future. 

All said and done though, Football Manager 2022 is unsurprisingly excellent. Annual franchises that consistently make meaningful improvements each year are a rarity in today’s day and age, but FM is a gem that keeps on shining brighter. With significant changes both big and small, the newest entry in Sports Interactive’s beloved series delivers – yet again – its richest, most nuanced, and most dangerously addictive iteration yet.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Much like its predecessors, Football Manager 2022 involves building up a club and making it the best in the world. With 123 football leagues to choose from and over 500,000 real players to recruit, there’s a lot of choice to be had (and players can create their own squad as well). Gameplay-wise, the animations have been improved while the new Wide Center-Back role has been implemented.

This is in addition staff meetings, combined weekly reports, a revamped manager creator and improvements to Fantasy Draft. For more details on Football Manager 2022, check out our feature here and stay tuned for more details on it in the coming days.

On the same day is Kill It with Fire for cloud, PC and consoles. This is followed by Football Manager 2022 for PC, Football Manager 2022: Xbox Edition (for consoles and cloud) and Forza Horizon 5 (for PC, consoles and cloud) on November 9th. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition joins the service for consoles on November 11th along with One Step from Eden for consoles and PC.

Of course, there will be a number of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass as well. They’re still playable until November 15th so check them out now while there’s still time.

• Final Fantasy 8 HD (Console and PC)
• Planet Coaster (Cloud and Console)
• Star Renegades (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Streets of Rogue (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Gardens Between (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• River City Girls (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Stay tuned for details on other titles coming to the service in the coming weeks.

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Vanguard marks a return to World War 2 for the series (yes, again). The twist in the campaign is that it’s an alternate history where Hitler has been slain and the Reich is being led by Hermann Wenzel Freisinger of the Gestapo. It’s up to Task Force One to stop him before Project Phoenix can be completed with players partaking in numerous theaters of war, from the Pacific to North Africa. For multiplayer, there will be 20 maps available at launch and new modes like Champion Hill and Patrol while Zombies, which is being handled by Treyarch, ties into the Dark Aether storyline with new abilities and foes. Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5^th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC, and thus far, it seems to tick every necessary box.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

After months of speculation, Rockstar Games finally confirmed remasters for Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition releases on November 11th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. It offers significantly upgraded visuals, from improved character models to a revamped lighting system, better draw distance, reflections and much more. Quality-of-life features include a checkpoint system for instant restarts and controls akin to Grand Theft Auto 5. All in all, this is looking like the best way to experience some of the best open world titles ever made.

Battlefield 2042

The “biggest Battlefield” till date, Battlefield 2042 is out on November 19^th. Though there’s no campaign, there are a number of multiplayer offerings. Core multiplayer offers seven maps and 128-player matches in classic modes like Conquest. Then there’s Hazard Zone, an Escape from Tarkov-style mode where a squad of three players must battle AI foes and real players to extract data drives. Despite the backlash against Specialists and the middling beta, Battlefield 2042 is still worth keeping an eye on at launch.

Football Manager 2022

Currently available in early access for PC, Sports Interactive’s Football Manager 2022 launches worldwide on November 9^th for Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. Along with 123 different leagues and over 500,000 players to choose from, there are new features like the Data Hub for utilizing real world metrics and customizing one’s dashboard; improved animation and AI; and new staff meetings for weekly reports. It still offers the robust tactics that fans love though, making this year’s iteration arguably the most enticing yet.

Forza Horizon 5

Playground Games’ open world racing series makes a triumphant return with Forza Horizon 5, this time venturing to gorgeous Mexico for the Horizon Festival. While there are over 400 cars to choose from and familiar activities like Street Racing and Offroad Racing, quite a lot is changing this year. There are 11 different biomes, each with their own respective weather and new weather types like enormous dust storms have also been added. Each race type also has its own dedicated Festival Site as players earn Accolades by completing tasks and attempting to enter the Hall of Fame. Even multiplayer has seen some changes with the more chill Horizon Open, mini-games via Horizon Arcade and much more. Forza Horizon 5 is out on November 9^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Jurassic World Evolution 2

After the success of Jurassic World Evolution, Frontier Developments is back with a sequel which releases on November 9^th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. Much of the same tenets remain as you’re building a park to house numerous species of dinosaurs and there are 75 different kinds to manage. But along with managing their habitats, food and other needs, the dinosaurs will compete for territory and even hunt together. There are also different biomes which provide their own respective challenges (managing a park in a forest won’t be the same as a desert, for example). Along with a Campaign, fans can also look forward to Challenge Mode, Sandbox Mode and the new Chaos Theory mode for partaking in “What if?” moments from the films. All of this, plus Jeff Goldblum returning to voice Ian Malcolm? What more could you want?

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition

It’s the Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim…again. Originally released in November 2011, Skyrim is getting an Anniversary Edition to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of its release. It includes Skyrim Special Edition, which features the base game and expansions like Hearthfire, Dawnguard and Dragonborn, along with free Creation Club content. These include Fishing (along with the ability to build aquariums), Survival Mode, new quests and more with about 74 different creations in total to experience. Skyrim Special Edition is also getting a free upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to leverage those consoles. However, Special Edition owners (which Xbox Game Pass players) will need to pay to upgrade to the Anniversary Edition when it releases on November 11^th.

Shin Megami Tensei 5

The war between angels and demons continues to rage on in Shin Megami Tensei 5. This time, the player goes from modern day Tokyo to Da’At, an alternative reality version of the city that’s in ruins. They soon meet the mysterious Aogami and combine to form Nahobino, battling back against the various demons. Traveling through Da’At, the player can negotiate and contract demons to fight for him, fusing them together to form stronger demons. Eventually, they’ll need to make a choice to push back the demons for good and prevent ruin from spreading to their world. With over 200 demons to command, the return of the Turn Press Battle system and an expansive new story, Shin Megami Tensei 5 may just be one of the biggest RPGs of the year when it releases on November 11^th for the Nintendo Switch.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One

Frogwares’ open world investigation title is an origin story of sorts, presenting a younger, more brash Sherlock Holmes. Returning to his childhood home on Cordona, a fictional island in the Mediterranean, Holmes is looking to solve the mystery of his mother’s death. Along with his friend Jon (no, not John Watson), he’ll comb the island, collecting evidence and following leads, donning disguises to infiltrate restricted places, and much more before connecting it altogether and finding different culprits. Of course there’s also combat as Holmes can either gun down foes or knock them out, exploiting the environment to gain an advantage. Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is out on November 16^th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Releasing on November 19^th for the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl serve as remakes to the 2006 DS classics. They maintain much of the same gameplay as the originals albeit with colorful 3D visuals and chibi characters. Character customization, Super Contest Shows, The Grand Underground and many more features have been added along with Pokemon that can follow the player. Time will tell if there are any other major new content additions or drastic differences but for now, long-time fans should enjoy these remakes.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise

As an expansion to the main game, Happy Home Paradise essentially sees players customizing vacation homes for the various denizens of the Animal Crossing-verse. The new archipelago offers a variety of different environments, from mountains to forests, and players must account for different requests when customizing. There’s quite a lot of freedom on offer, from changing the season and weather to designing specific buildings like schools and restaurants, not to mention soundscapes and Poki for acquiring rare items. And once you’ve done enough remodeling, you can use all of the new content for your own home or even your villagers’. Happy Home Paradise launches on November 5^th for the Switch.

DATA HUB

Poring over statistics, spreadsheets, heat maps, and what have you and adjusting your team and tactics accordingly is a crucial part of the Football Manager experience, and to that end, the series consistently makes improvements in this area each year. FM 2022 is going to be no different in that regard, with a new and improved Data Hub that you’ll be able to dive into before each map. Pass maps, match flow, and various other tactical analyses will be available here for you to study and leverage as you decide your tactics for a game.

ANIMATIONS

The actual on-pitch action has always taken a bit of a backseat in Football Manager games, appropriately enough, but the series does make some important improvements to its match engine with each new instalment, which it will be doing with Football Manager 2022 as well. For starters, there’s a new and improved animations system in the game, which means players and the ball should move during a match more naturally than in past games. Meanwhile, other improvements will also improve the matchday experience- which bring us to our next point…

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

While the new animations system is the highlight of improved match engine in Football Manager 2022, it does bring some other important improvements as well. For starters, the AI has been improved, which means players will make much better decisions both on and off the ball. This is an area where the series has been frustratingly inconsistent over the years, so hopefully the improvements being applied in FM 2022 will make a noticeable difference. Meanwhile, stamina is also going to be more emphasized now, which means players will tire out more quickly based not just on their fitness and sharpness, but also on your tactics and how the match is going, forcing you to switch things around during games.

DEADLINE DAY

Deadline Day is an important part of any football management experience, which, of course, includes the FM games as well, and the final day of every transfer window will see tweaks in Football Manager 2022 as well. For starters, it’ll come with a change in UI, with your hub screen transforming to show elements such as player offers, agent negotiations, transfer news, expiring contracts, a deadline day countdown, and more. Meanwhile, the rumour mill is also going to be made an important part of Deadline Day to make it a more authentic experience, with stories of where players might be headed cropping up, while players will also be able to talk to the press with specific options relating to potential transfer activity.

MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS

Other improvements are being made to the off-pitch management simulation parts of the game as well, which, of course, is the meat and potatoes of the experience. For instance, different clubs will have different budgets, which will give rise to different challenges and objectives, such as having to reduce the size of your squad and free up some of your wage bill and generate more budget for yourself. Scouting is also being improved, with all the details and communications regarding the players you’re scouting now being presented in a clearer and more convenient manner.

WIDE CENTER BACKS

For all the budding managers out there who like to play with more attacking defenders and play out from the back, there’s good news for you. Football Manager 2022 is introducing a new role for your defenders- namely, wide center back. Specifically for those who like to play with three players at the back, the wide center back should prove to be a useful option. Of course, you’ll have the freedom to decide how attacking (or not) these players will be. Football Manager as a series has always excelled at giving players an abundance of tactical options during games to tweak your strategies as you see fit, and it’s great to see that Sports Interactive is adding more options with this year’s game.

TOUCH VERSION

Football Manager’s yearly releases usually go hand-in-hand with a new Football Manager Touch version as well, which, as its name implies, is a modified version of the game made primarily for mobile devices. This year will be a little different though. Due to production complications brought about by COVID, Sports Interactive and Sega have had to cancel the iOS, Android, and PC versions of Football Manager Touch 2022, which means that version of the game will be available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Of course, PC players can (and will) play the full-fledged base experience of FM 2022, but those on mobile devices are sadly going to be left out.

LAUNCH

Football Manager 2022 is not too far away now. It will follow in this footsteps of its predecessors and launch in November, and will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Like last year’s game, Sports Interactive has publicly talked about why FM 2022 is going to be available on Xbox consoles but not on PlayStation- apparently, they approached Sony to bring Football Manager to PlayStation consoles, but Sony doesn’t seem to be interested in that, which, in turn, means Sports Interactive simply doesn’t have access to the development kits it needs to release the game for PlayStation 4 or 5.

GAME PASS

Regardless of if you’re playing Football Manager 2022 on PC or on an Xbox console, you’ll be able to access the game through Game Pass. That’s right, the management simulation title’s PC and Xbox versions will be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC and consoles respectively right on the day of launch. Meanwhile, both Game Pass versions will also feature cross-saves, which means you can take your progress across platforms as well.

Football Manager 2022 is also launching day one on Xbox Game Pass for both PC and Xbox platforms. More information on new features, “game upgrades” and updates to licensing will be coming later this month. It’s confirmed that pre-purchasing on Steam will provide early access to the title, which goes live “roughly” two weeks before the worldwide release.

The early access version also seems to be coming to other platforms (like Xbox via the Game Preview program) but this may be at a different time. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks and check out our review of Football Manager 2021 here in the meantime.